


Four Times Ji Hyo Holds Gary's Hand and One Time She Doesn't

by beriallen



Category: Korean Actor RPF, Running Man RPF
Genre: F/M, Monday Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-15
Updated: 2014-08-15
Packaged: 2018-02-13 07:48:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2142894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beriallen/pseuds/beriallen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There’s this thing about his hands. They always know how to find hers. Sometimes he wishes that weren’t the case. It usually only leads him to disappointment.</p><p>But it's different this time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Four Times Ji Hyo Holds Gary's Hand and One Time She Doesn't

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to do something light and simple, and this happened. Enjoy.

**Prologue**

 

Gary isn’t the type of guy who enjoys small talk; well, not as much as the rest of the male Running Man members. For once, though, he’s glad Ha Ha can’t keep his mouth shut.

“Hyung!” He hears Ha Ha calling out from behind him. Before Gary can turn around to greet him, Ha Ha is already beside him, putting his arm around Gary’s shoulder. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Gary asks, out of habit.

Ha Ha lets out a deep chuckle. “Hyung,” he says again, yet offers nothing more, digging his fingernails deeper into Gary’s jacket. Gary plays along; they’re just done with the filming and he’s too breathless from running from Jong Kook to protest, anyway. The two walk together in silence and it takes Gary a few minutes to notice that Ha Ha has somehow dragged him to a quiet corner of the SBS parking lot where Gary left his car this morning. As the sound of their footsteps gets louder and the chatter of the filming crew gradually disappears, Gary peeks over his shoulder. That’s when he finds out that they’re now completely alone.

Ha Ha must know this too because all of a sudden he starts whispering. “So,” he begins. His voice is so low, that Gary has to tilt his head to the side so he can hear Ha Ha better. “I heard there’s trouble in paradise.”

Gary tenses up at that. “Oh!” he gasps, sounding too eager for his liking. The news of Ji Hyo breaking up shouldn’t please him too much.

He coughs. “Oh,” he repeats, with a little less fervor this time.

Too late. There’s a smirk on Ha Ha’s face already and Gary knows he’s all done for. 

“How do you know?” Gary asks, if only to make Ha Ha stop staring at him.

Ha Ha snorts. “I’m a married man. I know when a woman is unhappy,” he rasps. “And also, she told me all about it. She asked me not to tell anyone, though.”

They walk until they finally reach Gary’s car and Ha Ha is patient, waiting for Gary as he slips his hand into his pocket and pulls his key out. “Why are you telling me, then?” Gary asks.

Ha Ha shrugs, pursing his lips at the same time. “To let you in the know?” he answers, laughing. At that, he takes a step back. “Anyway,” he says and abruptly turns around, heading back to where they came from earlier. He laughs again, amused at his own flair for the dramatic.

Gary scoffs and shakes his head. “This is why I keep telling Ji Hyo she shouldn’t trust anyone so much!” he calls out to Ha Ha’s back. 

Ha Ha goes into a skid at that, swinging around to face Gary again. There’s something too familiar about the way Ha Ha’s lips curl into a sneer. Gary takes a breath, realizing what’s to come.

“Hyung, I never said it was Ji Hyo,” Ha Ha says. He gives Gary a wink too. “Gotcha!”

 

 

**1.**

 

To be honest, even if Ha Ha hadn’t shared the secret, he probably would have guessed it himself. 

There’s this thing about his hands. They always know how to find hers. 

Sometimes he wishes that weren’t the case. It usually only leads him to disappointment.

When his hands are vigilant, hers are guarded; distant. There’s always a space of air between their linked fingers, no matter how tight he holds her hand. As if she’s always flinching away.

But it’s different this time.

Gary arrives at an unknown building in a car he rides with Kwang Soo, Jae Suk and Soek Jin. There are loud noises coming from behind the front door and he only listens faintly as the other three jabbering about music, drum and whatnot. His phone beeps and he fishes it out of his pocket, looking down to read the incoming text and mindlessly following the others inside. 

From the corners of his eyes, Gary can see Kwang Soo’s feet pull to a halt just a few steps after they cross the door. He involuntarily stops too; his thumb’s still busy grazing the screen of his phone. But it isn’t until Kwang Soo hisses, “Hyung, Noona’s talking to you,” that he finally looks up.

And there she is.

He almost misses her, bopping around inside a booth with a big glass window through which he spots her, spitting out lyrics to a standing microphone she’s holding. There are some men inside the booth with her too: there are the producers and VJs, of course; there’s one man he’s never seen before sitting behind a drum set; another strumming an electric guitar— Or maybe it’s a bass? And who knows what the others are playing? He really doesn’t care. Not when she’s wearing a black leather jacket and pants that fit her hips too well. 

Gary clears his throat.

“I think she’s asking me out right now,” he blurts out, if only to get his mind back on track.

There’s a small door that opens into the booth and Jae Suk is leading the group as they walk through it when Kwang Soo quips, “Is this our mission? Are we supposed to listen to Noona sing? Because I’d rather give up!”

Gary pushes him forward. 

Ji Hyo’s eyes widen when they meet his. She’s out of tune and flailing her hand around, as if it will miraculously help her find the rhythm she’s desperately lacking. At least she gets Kwang Soo going; he gladly joins her off-key singing despite his earlier remark, gesturing to the others to do the same. Gary happily obliges.

Let’s meet now!  
Meet right now!

He starts rapping before he knows it— _I’m about to throw my phone_ —and it takes his mind to the phone in his pocket and the still half-read text message. The coincidence sends a beginning of a laugh seeping into his throat; it stops short when he sees her gliding to his direction, extending her arm to offer him the microphone. 

He instinctively reaches for her to take it and there are knots somewhere in his stomach when his little finger brushes over her knuckles.

But she’s smiling at him, and so he lunges forward.

She’s moving her elbows up and down, then; her idea of dancing, it seems. And there’s this urge inside his chest that itches him, making him mirror her silly moves, exaggerating every motion of his shoulder.

Just because it makes her laugh.

He, Gary finds out, is making her happy.

The thought drives him bold, bringing him closer, looking right into her. Between the beating of the drum, he can hear Jae Suk’s voice as he cries out, “Ah really, these two!”

He wonders what the producers are thinking; he wonders what others will say when they see this—him singing to her, him not being able to take his eyes of her—on TV. He realizes that he doesn’t care.

 

***

 

Jae Suk sounds genuinely upset, yapping about loyalty and other things Gary can’t really grasp. “Song Ji Hyo, I came here only for you!” he yelps.

Ji Hyo is quiet as she opens the car door to let Kwang Soo in. But there’s a certain blow Gary feels on his head when her gaze falls on him, making him blush.

She shoots him a look, and he just knows.

Gary doesn’t do this too often, betraying. Yet running away, leaving Jae Suk’s team behind to go to Jong Kook’s car on the other side of the narrow street seem natural when Ji Hyo’s fingertips are resting on the small of his back, steering him.

A car honks in the distance before they can cross the street, and Ji Hyo gasps in his ear, “Oppa.”

Gary drops his left hand to his side, searching for hers on impulse, and balls it into a fist when it meets nothing for once. 

But there’s a soft touch then, and Gary has to draw a breath as he feels her hand sneaking into his palm, compelling his fingers to uncurl and then curl back around hers. And then her hand just stays there, in his own. And their fingers are lacing.

He starts to run. 

Gary’s VJ is trudging along behind them; his noisy feet hit the tarmac frantically as he jogs after Gary and Ji Hyo. Next to Gary, Ji Hyo is giggling, tightening her hold on him as she’s trying to keep up. He lets out a smile at that, suddenly remembering a scene of a hero and his ladylove out of some Hollywood movie he once watched.

He runs his thumb against her skin.

But then they reach Jong Kook’s car and he pulls the back door open for her, letting her go in the process. Inside the car, Ha Ha and Jong Kook are screaming and Gary winces at the loudness as he waits for Ji Hyo to scoot over.

“Monday Couple’s the best!” Ha Ha shrieks after Gary closes the door and places himself beside Ji Hyo.

Gary gives a soft laugh. “Ji Hyo gave me a look,” he says, absentmindedly. “Ji Hyo gave me a look that told me she wanted to be in this team.”

Ji Hyo chuckles at that but says nothing, too busy fumbling with her stubborn seat belt. One of her knees is propped up on the leather seat and, as Gary fidgets to try to help her with the seat belt, the back of his hand brushes over it slightly, sending shivers down his spine.

“It’s great how you instantly knew what I meant, though!” she tells him all of a sudden.

Gary swallows. “Well. Yeah,” he mumbles.

On the front passenger seat, Ha Ha is squirming, and the leather squeaks underneath his weight, letting Gary know that he’s been listening in on their conversation. Gary, too, catches Jong Kook as he straightens up on the driver seat, eyeing on them through the rearview mirror.

Gary rolls his eyes, feigning ignorance. “Thanks for taking me along,” he whispers to her, and means it.

Ji Hyo turns to him. “No problem,” she says, smiling. “I like teaming up with you.”

The seat belt clicks, and Gary realizes he has his hand on top of hers. He squeezes it lightly, just because.

She doesn’t flinch.

 

 

**2.**

 

Gary has never wanted to punch Jong Kook until this moment.

“They look like they’re dressed up for their wedding!” Jong Kook squeals. “This is their wedding!”

Gary sends Jong Kook a quick glance, promptly sighing when he only receives a grin as a response. To top it off, he begins to sweat too, and he knows that the thick black suit he’s wearing is just a small part of the whole problem.

The truth is, even without Jong Kook’s teasing, even if Jong Kook had said nothing, Gary would have already thought about a wedding.

And not just any wedding.

The fact that Ji Hyo’s looking so beautiful in white is enough fuel for his imagination, and the silhouette of her legs behind her sheer skirt is not helping at all. Ji Hyo is never the ostentatious type but he wonders whether she’ll be wearing a tiara too when she gets married. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he’s forming lyrics already.

He thinks about a party—and not just any party. He wonders what their friends will say about them in their speeches. He takes a quick look at the filming crew and wonders if anyone from the production team will bother to make them a celebratory video containing clips of the two of them from the show. He wonders which footage they will use. 

But he’s getting ahead of himself.

Gary shakes his head, then. The others are still going on about a country wedding and he’s only half-listening when someone tells him that he and Ji Hyo look great together. Gary rocks on his heels, perfectly aware of Ji Hyo standing beside him, looking up and down at him.

Only then does Gary realize that he can’t even meet Ji Hyo in the eye.

This is going to be an interesting day.

 

***

 

Let’s not talk about the kiss, because if anyone comes to him right now and asks him about it, he will plead insanity, and his actions so far should provide sufficient proofs.

He knows he’s been weird all day. In the sedan, on their way to the rice paddy, he was talking louder than usual, practically screaming to anyone who would ask him a question. He was agitated; he kept moving restlessly on his seat. He’s been cracking more jokes than usual. He’s been flirting more than necessary. He touched her hair. The whole nine.

There’s something wrong with him and, if Jae Suk’s constant stare is any indication, he’s not the only one who suspects it.

Funny how he gets flustered when he’s the one who did the kissing. 

Running around and trying to figure out what food to buy Ji Hyo help him a little; at least, now there are other things to think about, like how to balance a bowl of jjamppong and utensils on a tray while jogging as fast as he can.

It takes a few dirty tricks to get him to first place but his team wins so he’s not complaining. When he reaches Ji Hyo, Ha Ha is there too, babbling something about how Gary’s team always copies his. Gary shrugs him off. “We got our own hint,” he mutters, calmly.

But he’s already acting up again. His hand is grabbing the spoon, scooping the soup without a second thought. He only understands what he’s meaning to do after he lifts the spoon up and raises his other hand under her chin, preparing itself for potential spills. He realizes he’s trying to feed her.

He remembers them from a few years back: the more unruly version of him and the more relentless one of her, both younger, both in traditional getups, both bowing down in front of the cameras. He remembers asking why she wouldn’t take his hand, when all he wanted to do was to help her stand up from the sitting position. He remembers she never answered him. The Gary that he is today doesn’t have to ask the question. He now knows she didn’t take his hand because she didn’t want to. Today’s Gary knows Song Ji Hyo never does anything that she doesn’t want to.

But now his hands are trembling.

Somehow, he manages to hold on to the spoon. Gary glances down at his left hand, still hovering under her chin, and notices his wet open palm. He swallows.

It’s almost a relief when Ji Hyo finally leans forward to take a sip of the soup. But then her left hand, too, moves, making its way from her side decidedly before finally landing below his. And Gary stands rigid.

Somewhere next to Gary, Jae Suk is shouting. “Yah! Yah!” he cries aloud.

And still, her hand stays. Her touch is a fleeting one, and her fingers are barely cupping the back of his hand. But it’s there nonetheless, when it doesn’t even have to, and holding him steady. Gary blinks at the contact, savoring it. There’s a trace of a promise in the touch; a hint of reassurance.

For the first time that day, Gary breathes easy.

 

 

**3.**

 

He has to admit that there’s nothing magical about the way he and Ji Hyo ended up in the same team this time.

No one actually told him where to go but the way the PD cocked his head alone already let him know that he really, really wanted Gary to open the pink door. When he did open it, Ji Hyo was standing flat against the wall to scare him, giving him a shock. But, in all honesty, not finding her behind the pink door would be the real shocker.

Yet, somehow magic follows them.

And he’s not only talking about the cold winter wind that whooshed out of nowhere and made the velcro patches on their jackets stick together. Or the old man who appeared in a flash and yelled at them to get married. He couldn’t make that stuff up even if he had tried.

The awkward silence it’s causing is as real as it gets too.

They’re on a bus now; it’s nearly empty and the VJ is sitting four seats away from them, yawning. He’s getting bored, waiting for both or either of them to say something. Anything.

Ji Hyo is rubbing her palm against her right thigh and balancing a plastic of the mandarins she bought earlier on her left one. Gary is sitting on her right, looking outside the window. The bus is riding past high billboards and he’s craning his neck every time, struggling to read each slogan, searching for conversation starters. 

Beside him, Ji Hyo is coughing. He turns to her. “You alright?” he asks.

She nods. “Yeah.”

Ji Hyo is silent again, putting her hand inside the pocket of her jacket. Gary watches her for a lack of a better thing to do, stealing glances at her as she pulls her phone out and peeks at it to check the time. She sighs afterward, dropping her phone back inside her pocket. 

Something beeps all of a sudden and their VJ puts his camera down, informing them that he has to change the tape.

The VJ is quick, unzipping his bag and browsing the contents for a new tape in no time. But Ji Hyo is nothing but well-prepared, and Gary can only squint as she reaches for a mandarin in the plastic bag and offers it to the VJ. “Why don’t you take five?” she says. “Or ten, even.”

Gary is used to them, the crafts she uses on men. It’s somewhat easy for him to spot them since he’s usually on the receiving end of them; he wishes he could say it has been all for the camera. Alas.

The VJ shrugs then, beaming as he takes the mandarin from Ji Hyo. Gary rests his back against his seat, crossing his arms as he surveys the scene quietly, waiting for her to start.

Her voice cracks when she finally does start, and Ji Hyo has to clear her throat before she can continue. “Is it alright if we take it slow?” she breathes, after a while.

Gary blinks. “Hmm?”

She’s taking her time, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear before replying. “The game,” she says, finally. “Can we just— Relax?”

He is suddenly reminded of the trip to Macau, of the leisurely walk in front of a jewelry store. She kept lagging behind and he was confused. “This isn’t like you,” he told her at that time.

“This isn’t like you,” he repeats now.

She scoffs at that. Her feet sway and her knee bumps into his as she looks straight to her front. She’s evading, Gary realizes. He indulges her, turning silent again.

But then she takes a deep breath. “I don’t feel like winning today,” she murmurs.

Gary stares at her. “That’s okay,” he says. “I’m freezing, anyway.”

The bus stops and Gary scans the surroundings, standing up once he finds out they’ve reached their destination. The VJ has finished his mandarin and he’s standing up too, groping for the camera and his bag, heading to the door almost immediately.

The door opens and Gary begins to walk through the aisle. He hears rustling from behind him and he knows Ji Hyo has stood up too, getting herself ready to alight. The VJ is already outside; his hand is buried inside his bag again, doubtlessly searching for a new tape, and something tells Gary that Ji Hyo won’t be able to stall anymore. Gary speeds up.

He feels a tug, then; it’s gentle and urgent at the same time, telling him to stop in his tracks and making him gasp at the suddenness. Gary turns around, finding his hand wrapped around Ji Hyo’s. “Slow down,” she says, lacing her fingers between his. 

Gary obeys her, dragging his heels as he starts moving forward again. The opened door allows the cold wind to rush inside, striking him with all its might. But her palm is covering his still, lending him warmth. 

He pulls her along.

Their feet barely touch the sidewalk when the door closes behind Ji Hyo and the bus drives away. The VJ is still there, still fumbling with his new tape. Gary walks past him, strolling toward an intersection. There are people at the bus station and some of them are shrieking at the sight of him and Ji Hyo. He greets them heartily, nodding politely at their direction.

But the pedestrian light is red when they reach the intersection, and the crowd is taking out their phones, clicking at the screens furiously, not even trying to hide the fact that they’re taking his and Ji Hyo’s pictures. And he’s suddenly restless, eager to cross the street and get away from them. But her hand is still clasping his, keeping him still. And so he stays quiet, watching the cars pass by.

She tilts her head then, drawing it closer to his. “Kang Gary,” she whispers. “What does it mean if we win? Us. Again.“

He hears the beeping sound coming from behind, and he knows the VJ has finally turned the camera back on. He turns to her hurriedly. 

“Let’s make sure we’ll lose this time, then,” he says, smiling.

The light turns green at last, and their steps are lazy as they walk across the zebra crossing.

Her fingers tighten around his.

 

 

**4.**

 

Gary tries his best not to read too much into things. But he, of all people, knows it’s easier said than done. Especially when Ji Hyo has popped up unannounced, to his delight, in Australia. 

On his birthday.

During the final challenge, she asked him secretly if he had completed his mission. And then she sprinted away from Rain when he tried to catch her. Like she didn’t want him to win.

Like she wanted Gary to win instead.

Has he mentioned that it’s his birthday today?

Anyway, it’s already late at night, and he’s back at the beach house to celebrate with the whole crew. Someone is bringing a cake and it isn’t long until all of them are demanding a speech from him. Soek Jin is quick to nag, commenting on the way Gary slurs his words as soon as he finishes talking. The others tell Soek Jin to cut him some slack—because “He’s an ahjussi now!”—and Gary just laughs, drinking from his can of beer. 

It’s a few hours later and the alcohol must be kicking in because suddenly there’s a splash and a scream that let Gary know that Ha Ha is pushing people into the pool again. He runs toward the front door in a rush, knowing very well that he’ll be Ha Ha’s main target. He passes the dining table on his way and notices an uneaten cake slice on paper plate. He grabs it and dashes outdoor.

Gary reaches the front gate safely, surprising himself when he somehow manages to avoid everyone. The night is cold and he’s shivering as he saunters past the spot where he and the others received their first mission earlier in the morning. His plan is to hide himself in the house next door, where the female crew is staying, and pray as hard as he can that Jong Kook will be too drunk to find him and drag him back. 

He almost makes it to the front gate of the other house when a figure looms in the deserted street, walking toward him.

“Kang Gary?”

He takes a deep breath. “Hey,” he says. “Ji Hyo.”

Gary saw her earlier, sneaking out of the party not long after his speech. He thought of the hours she spent filming her drama and the flight she had to endure, and didn’t try to stop her. Some others did, but she just patted them on their backs and slipped out of the front door without a word.

But here she is, in front of him.

She approaches him. “What are you doing?” she asks. As if on cue, another scream resonates from inside the packed beach house, making Ji Hyo laugh out loud.

“You’re in luck,” she says. “If I weren’t so tired, I would have called Ha Ha oppa and told him you’ve escaped.” She nods at his hand. “Why do you have a cake with you?”

Gary almost forgets about it. “Because I’m going to eat it?” he says, raising his eyebrows at her.

Ji Hyo chuckles. “What if I let you hide in our house and you let me have a bite?”

“Deal,” he says, smiling.

He waits for her as she turns around—her movements slow and drowsy—and, together, they head to the other beach house. 

“Why are you up, by the way?” he asks as they walk.

She shrugs. “I was really sleepy the whole day,” she mutters. “But once my head hit the pillow, I was, like, awake. I couldn’t sleep. So I thought I’d check out the party. I thought maybe hanging out for half an hour with you guys would make me exhausted eventually, so I can finally fall asleep.” She adds too, “I’m getting old.”

This isn’t the first time she mentions it; she’s been complaining, albeit half-jokingly, about her red-dyed hair, rambling something about how it washes out her features, making her look twice her age. 

“Hey,” he says, furrowing his brows. “I’m the one who’s getting old today.” When she says nothing, he continues, “And remember that you’ll never be as bad-looking as me, no matter what. So revel in that.”

They reach the front door of the other beach house, and Ji Hyo laughs as she pushes it open and enters. It’s dimly lit inside, and Gary can only see the outline of her body as she points above her head. “Second floor,” she whispers. 

“Why are you whispering?” he asks as he follows her. “It’s obviously empty inside.”

Ji Hyo lets out a laugh— No. More like a roar of laughter at that, and Gary’s lips curl as he watches her.

They manage to find the staircase despite the lack of light. Ji Hyo is leading his way, climbing the stairs with hunched shoulders. She’s sluggish but Gary is not particularly fast either, carefully holding on to the cake and the beer. When he’s finally upstairs, Ji Hyo is already waiting for him in the center of the room, yawning.

“Oh, great! Now you’re exhausted,” he blurts out.

“Nag one more time and I’m seriously considering telling everyone that you’re hiding here.”

“Well, if you do that, you’re not getting the cake.”

“You’ve got a point there.”

She points at the tall glass sliding doors, then. “There,” she says, and Gary now knows where they’re going; the house he’s staying at has the same glass doors, after all. The doors open to a cozy small balcony with a rattan sofa in the center, offering an unobstructed view of the beach below and, beyond that, the sea.

The girls’ house has the same exact balcony, sofa and the view. But it’s really dark now and, as Gary takes his seat beside Ji Hyo, all he sees as he looks ahead is the black sea. 

Ji Hyo wastes no time, snatching the cake from his hand as soon as she plops down on the sofa. “Thanks,” she says, grinning. Gary purses his lips at her, but can’t help chuckling when she starts gnawing at the cake.

The waves crash all of a sudden and he almost jumps in his seat. He gulps down his beer, tightening his grip on the can while he does so. His left hand moves to the edge of the sofa, clawing at it firmly. The rattan is digging sharply into his skin, and he’s clenching his teeth, enduring it.

“You know,” he says, then. “I don’t want to sound too dramatic, but I almost died today.”

Ji Hyo straightens up at that. “What—”

Gary shakes his head. “Eh, it’s nothing,” he says. “Me and Ha Ha were supposed to do parasailing today, but it was too windy and our boat was swaying, the water coming in and all. Everyone got panic for a while.”

Her eyes widen. “Oh God,” she gasps. “Are you alright?”

He snickers. “Ji Hyo yah! I’m here, aren’t I?” When she still gapes at him, he continues, “It was nothing, really! I mean, I was really scared, obviously. But now I can just laugh it off.“

Ji Hyo tilts her head, staring at him. The cake is in her left hand, abandoned. “Oppa—,” she whispers.

“You should have seen the look on Ha Ha’s face! We got to see dolphins afterward!”

She doesn’t reply to that, knitting her eyebrows instead. He glances away from her, looking down at his left hand, still clutching the edge of his seat. From the corners of his eyes, he can see her fidgeting. She’s sliding her right hand closer to him too, he notices. Yet it still comes as a shock to him when her hand slowly ventures to his left one and then covers it without reservation.

He breathes.

Gary makes no attempt to stir. For a split moment, he feels guilty for allowing himself to enjoy the feel of her skin. But he’s getting old and he thought he was going to die today, and who is he to deny _this_ ; deny her. 

His hand turns into hers, pressing against hers. Their palms meet, and he sighs. The tips of her fingers are already familiar to him, yet he’s tracing them curiously nevertheless. But it’s her fingers that brush against his knuckles first, and then lace themselves with his entirely. His hand is more than willing, folding into hers with such ease.

The waves crash again and she squeezes his hand.

He dares himself to look up, then. When he catches her eye, they share a soft laugh.

“Ah,” he manages, after a while. “Imagine if I die on my birthday.”

“Imagine that,” she says, in a flat voice. She’s quiet afterward, chewing on her lip. But when she speaks again, there’s intensity in her tone that alerts him. “Just— Just stay not dead, okay!?” she says, putting emphasis on her every word.

Gary gives her a smile. “Okay,” he promises. He nods at her cake too. “Aren’t you going to finish that?”

Ji Hyo takes a quick look at it and shrugs. “It can wait.”

She still doesn’t let go of his hand.

 

 

**5.**

 

Ha Ha is tenacious, Gary will give him that.

For as long as he can remember, Ha Ha has been obsessively telling Gary to visit his apartment in Hapjeong-dong because, he reasons, what will people say when they know he never invites Gary for dinner even though his hyung has a studio that happens to be in the same neighborhood? And while we’re at it, why don’t we invite Ji Hyo too, since she now lives in the same place?

Gary rolls his eyes every time.

But he’ll be lying if he says he isn’t tempted.

In the end, Ha Ha has to deploy Byul, who talks to Gary on the phone, telling him that she already bought too many groceries and that it would be a sin to let them go to waste. Gary knows too well about Ha Ha’s scheming prowess and how far it can go, and feels sorry for her at first. But here he is now—finally giving in and sitting next to Ji Hyo while facing Byul and Ha Ha on their dining table—and she’s just as bad as her husband.

Gary misses none of hers and Ha Ha’s exchanged looks or snickers, making him wonder if they’ve rehearsed every relationship topic and every suggestive remark that makes Gary blush. 

Ji Hyo is Ji Hyo, and she’s courteous as always, subtly snorting at Ha Ha’s jokes, especially the inappropriate ones. That’s how Gary knows she must be feeling as uncomfortable as him. 

They’re done eating now, and she and Gary are standing by the kitchen counter, stirring their coffee. She looks over her shoulder, making sure that Ha Ha is still busy with the dirty dishes and Byul is still in the nursery to check on the baby. She inches closer to Gary in one swift move and nudges him on the elbow.

“What time do you want to leave?” she whispers. “Don’t leave me.”

Gary turns to her. “After coffee?” he says, in a hushed tone.

“Okay,” she agrees.

He downs the coffee in a hurry, burning his tongue in the process. He opens his mouth then, fanning it with his hand, and lets Ji Hyo handle the leave-taking. 

Ha Ha is reluctant to let them go, as expected. And Gary has to improvise, promising to walk Ji Hyo to her apartment. That works like a charm; Ha Ha grins widely at that, and immediately calls for Byul to finally bid them goodbye. 

For someone who endlessly pestered Gary and Ji Hyo to have dinner with him, it’s odd how excited Ha Ha is at the thought of their friends leaving his house together. The moment Gary and Ji Hyo crosses the threshold, the door seems to fly shut in front of them, although before Ha Ha wiggles his eyebrows at Gary. 

And then there’s just the two of them, stranded in the hallway.

It turns unusually quiet all of a sudden, but none of them intends to disrupt it. There’s an elevator at the end of the hallway, and he walks silently with Ji Hyo in its direction, going over too many things in his mind. It’s not until they reach the elevator and Gary presses the button that he finally sighs out loud. Ji Hyo laughs gingerly at that, shaking her head as she does so.

The elevator dings and he looks at her. “Well,” he says. “Good night, then. I’ll take the next one.”

She squints at him. “I thought you said you’d walk me home?”

He blinks. “Umm,” he starts. But the elevator doors open and she steps inside. She punches the door control button too, preventing the elevator to leave without him. His hesitation hangs unfinished in the air, and he follows her inside.

The elevator ride is spent mostly in silence. He shifts his weight restlessly, glancing at her every once in a while. Ji Hyo keeps looking up at the floor indicator, watching the numbers change with her arms crossed.

“So,” she says suddenly. “That was interesting.”

Gary rubs the tip of his nose. “Yeah,” he mumbles.

The elevator doors open again after a while, revealing another long hallway. “Here we are,” she announces, stepping out of the elevator. Gary takes a deep breath, and trails along.

They’re quiet again, and he remembers her and how delicate the topic of home is for her. And it makes him anxious all of a sudden because here he is, walking along the hallway; _her_ hallway. Toward her home.

He slips his hands inside the pockets of his pants, fiddling with a loose thread. “Please believe me when I say I have nothing to do with what just happened tonight,” he rambles.

She lets out a laugh. “I know,” she breathes. She’s treading gently, dragging each foot carefully as she walks, and he’s taking her cue, slowing down his steps to match hers. “They’re cute, though, don’t you think?” she asks.

Gary gives a slight nod. “Yeah.”

Her arms are still folded across her chest as they walk, but her palms are now moving up and down, rubbing her arms impulsively; her fingers tug at her sweater. 

“Ha Ha oppa,” she says. “He’s just scared of everything, isn’t he? He’s scared of chickens, really.” She pauses at that, chuckling shortly. “But then, he met the girl of his dreams, and he just— He just married her. He wasn’t scared at all.”

Gary replies nothing to that, frowning at his toes instead. 

“It makes you think, doesn’t it?” she continues. “About things you could do if you just— Just go with it. You know?”

She stops walking, then. Gary follows suit, noticing a door on her left when he turns to face her. Ji Hyo points at it. “This is me,” she says too. 

He watches her as her arms drop to her sides; her left hand digs into her pocket, combing for her key. He looks up at the door; the wood sturdy and unyielding. And she’s going to have to go through it and be behind it any moment. And he’s repeating what she just said in his head. 

And he figures it out.

“I know,” he says. He stares at her, in the way he always does, which never fails to make his head dizzy afterward. He says it again, louder, “I know,” because he really does. In the same way he understands what her looks mean, the same way he somehow always knows where she would hide or run to. The way he just understands her.

He takes a step forward, and her gasp matches his own when he finds himself standing between her legs. His hands leave his pocket to brush against her cheeks. “There’s a—,” he begins, but never finishes it. He’s framing her face instead, tilting his own before finally leaning in. 

He kisses her lips.

There’s nothing brash about the kiss; for a while, it’s just his lips pressing gently against hers. But by no means is it passionless. And it’s new, yet familiar at the same time. It’s the same way he always finds her hand, and she his: skin against skin, searching, grazing, discovering, before finally folding into each other. And just like that, she sighs back against his mouth, and kisses him back.

He takes a second to remind himself to buy Ha Ha a soju some time. 

They draw back at the same time then, yet still close enough that their foreheads are still touching. He runs his thumb against her jaw and takes a breath as her hands place themselves around his arms, clinging lightly to them. When she smiles against his lips, he kisses her again.

She doesn’t flinch.

 

 

End.

**Author's Note:**

> The thing about Ji Hyo's apartment can be read [here](http://instagram.com/p/q56TOsu-j0/)


End file.
